Grades for the Houston Texans picks following the draft

The draft isn’t a proven science and there is a fine line between taking the best player available and filling holes on your team. The Texans had a roster that is ready to compete not only for a division title but possibly a conference championship.

Entering Thursday night, the Texans were in need of adding depth to the offensive and defensive lines, adding an impact safety and corner, a playmaking inside linebacker that can go sideline to sideline, and finally a quarterback of the future.

The Texans appeared to hold true to their board and took the best player available, but also showed the willingness to trade up for their future at the same time.

Quarterbacks

The Texans moved up to the 12th pick and took Deshaun Watson. Smith and O’Brien have said that Savage will start which gives time for Watson to learn.

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Running Backs

The Texans took D’Onta Foreman to complement Lamar Miller in the backfield. Foreman, a Houston-area native, will add that big back to the rotation. By all accounts they held true to their board as they picked Foreman with the 89th pick but wasn’t a glaring weakness on the roster that needed to be filled at this point in the draft.

Grade: C

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Offensive Lineman

One of the major holes entering the draft was along the offensive line, as the draft went along the Texans held true to their board and it wasn’t until the 130th pick when they took Julie’n Davenport. Davenport is a massive player at 6-foot-7 and 320 pounds out of Bucknell but is at least a year away from being productive on the field.

With their final pick of the draft at the 243rd selection, they added Kyle Fuller who is another massive lineman at 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds out of Baylor but a project player.

Grade: C-

Linebacker

Coming off the day one excitement of taking Watson and seeing so many good players drop, the Texans had one of the best tacklers in the draft fall into their laps at the 57th pick with Vanderbilt linebacker Zach Cunningham.

Cunningham will be a day one starter and adds that side line to sideline player. With the defensive line of the Texans, he will be kept clean and able to do what he does best and that is find the ball.

Grade: A+

Defensive Line

With their second pick in the fourth round and with the 142nd pick, the Texans added much needed depth along the front with Carlos Watkins from Clemson. Watkins was a key cog on the defensive front for Clemson this past season. He is big strong player that can get to the quarterback. If he can become more consistent versus the run, this pick will pay dividends for many years to come.

Grade: B+

Secondary

In the fifth round and 169th pick, the Texans took Treston Decoud from Oregon State. Decoud projects as a safety in the NFL and is a physical player that will help on special teams this season. He will add depth as a rotational player which is much needed in the secondary.

Grade: C

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Overall

The Texans moved up to ensure they got their quarterback of the future in Watson which was a big question mark for the last two drafts. Adding Cunningham in the second could prove to be the best pick of the 2017 Draft as he will play from day one and be a center piece to their defense.

As the draft went on, the Texans held true to their board taking the best player available versus need. Davenport has the making of becoming a quality player in the NFL but has a long ways to go. The addition of Watkins will be a boost for the defensive line and if he can become more consistent versus the run, he will be a key player in the middle of that defensive line for the next five years.

The Texans added some depth at other positions but needed to add an impact player in the secondary and that hole will need to be addressed before the start of the season.

Overall Draft Grade: B-minus

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